Machine for use in the manufacture of boots and shoes.



A. BATES.

MACHINE FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2, 1908. LQSQAS'f/ Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W/T/VESZSES //v vm/ rm. M6- M4 MWAQZQ A. BATES. MACHINE FOR USE. IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2, 1908.

1,082,487,- Patented Dec.30,1913.

2 SHBETS+SHEET 2.

ILIIIIIA'IIIIIIIVf/E E I E'imj; '65 U L v.-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR BATES, OE LEICESTER, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATER SON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS ,ANID SHOES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

Application filed March 2, 1908. Serial No. 418,743.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR Barns, a subject of the King of England, residing at Leicester, in the county of Leicester, England, have invented certain Improvements in Machines for Use in the Manufacture of Boots and Shoes, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to fastening inser ting mechanisms adapted for example for use in pulling-over machines of the type shown in prior U. S. Letters Patent No. 663,7 7 7 and particularly to an improvement in the mechanism therein employed for securing the upper substantially simultaneously at a plurality of points in pulled-over position.

In order that the problem may be understood which has led me to make the present invention I will explain that in pulling over a shoe by the use of the type of machine shown in said patent the upper is gripped at the toe end and at opposite sides of the ball and pulled at those several points to stretch it over the last. The upper is then adjusted as may be required to position it correctly upon the last and conform its lines, as, for example, the toe tip seam and the throat of the vamp, to the lines of the last. Thereafter the marginal portion of the upper is drawn over the innersole upon the last bottom and the fastening inserting mechanisms are moved inwardly into position over the overdrawn upper. This inward movement is effected yieldingly in order that no harm may be done if any obstacle is encountered, as, for example, if the shape of the last is such that one of the fastening inserting mechanisms is stopped by engagement therewith before the other mechanisms reach their operative positions as is liable to occur in operating upon different styles of lasts. Preparatory to this inward movement of the inserting mechanisms the several drivers are raised against the pressure of the driver springs by which they are to be impelled downwardly for inserting the fastenings. Then the fastening inserting mechanisms reach predetermined relation to the work during this inward movement the devices by which the drivers are upheld are withdrawn or tripped and the drivers are actuated downwardly by forcetransmitted from said driver springs. By this mechanism the fastenings are inserted at the several parts of the shoe at substantially the same time.

In the mechanism shown in said patent a suitably shaped plate has bearing upon the heads of the several driver bars and a single lever is connected with the yielding elements which constitute the actuator and rests upon the plate so that the drivers are all actuated together and the tacks driven at the same time. Itmay sometimes occur, as, for example, under the conditions above mentioned in which the inward movement of one of the' inserting mechanisms is interrupted before another, that one driver bar will be released from its'upho'ld'in-g means before the others. This would permit the driver of that mechanism to drop and the plate resting upon it might tip or cant so that when the other drivers were released the drivers would not all be uniformly actuated. This might result in an unsatisfactory insertion of the fastenings, some being driven harder than they should be while others were not driven into the shoe far enough to hold the upper which would then slip out of its correctly adjusted position and sometimes necessitate the removal of the other fastenings and the repetition of the entire pullingover and fastening operation. The plate resting upon the drivers is also liable to be broken particularly if the driver first released descends out of touch with the plate so that the latter engages it by impact when the other drivers are freed.

An object of this invention is to over come the liability of such breakage as suggested and of other damage which has sometimes occurred in the use of the prior construction and to insure a more uniform and reliable insertion of fastenings under conditions such as those above described.

To this end the invention contemplates a separate connection between the several in serting mechanisms and the driver actuator. This improvement in the machine has the advantage that each driver will be actuated as soon as it is released, without waiting for the other drivers of the machine to be tripped, and may therefore properly insert its fastening. This is done without any liability of interfering with or deranging the mechanism for forcing theother drivers drivers are connected to the several bars, or

in which fastenings varying in kind are inserted by the different bars.

An important feature of this invention consists in providing a machine having fastening inserting mechanism ofthe type ,described with means for actuating the drivers independently to insert the fastenings.

A single mechanism may be employed for lifting the drivers together and, advantageously in an arrangement in which the inserting mechanisms are moved toward and from an operative position over the work as'herein shown, a single mechanism may be employed for giving them these inward and outward movements in unison. This mechanism will preferably comprise devices yieldingly connected with the several inserting mechanisms so that each mechanism may be stopped in a predetermined relation to the work without reference to the extent of movement of said devices. These devices are shown as operatively connected with devices which hold the drivers in an uplifted position and which are automatically withdrawn for tripping the drivers of each inserting mechanism when that mechanism is stopped by its arrival in operative position.

It is an important characteristic of this invention that the fastening inserting mechanisms, which have provision for tripping the drivers at times determined by the arrival of the individual driving mechanisms in operative position, have means for actuating each driver to insert its tack as soon as it is tripped.

The above and other features of this invention, including certain details of construction and combinations of parts, will be "more fully explained in connection with the accompanying drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying this invention; Fig. 2 is a section on approximately the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are details of Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a view of the side members of the fastening inserting mechanism from a vertical plane which may be assumed to be that indicated by the broken line 66 in Fig. 2; Figs. 7 and 8 show in full and dotted lines some of the variations in the shape of lasts which are used with the machine.

The machine comprises a head supported at an altitude to permit the top face of the fore part of the shoe to be readily observable by the workman. The shoe is presented as shown in Fig. 1 with the tread face of the innersole against the sole rest 2. Grippers 6 are arranged to seize the upper at the sides of the ball of the last and at the toe end. These grippers are suspended from levers 8 pivoted at 9 and automatically operated through springs 10 from cams on the main driving shaft. The springs 10 are put under compression as shown in Fig. 1 when the grippers are uplifted to pull the upper and the levers are extended forwardly and provided with handle portions by which they can be relatively moved by the operator for shifting the upper to adjust it into desired position upon the last. A spreader 12 holds the grippers during the pulling and adjusting operations in separated positions such that the upper is drawn upwardly and preferably slightly outwardly from the sides of the last. This spreader is retracted at the proper time to permit the grippers to be moved inwardly by the springs let for laying the upper over the last bottom. The fastening inserting means comprises a plurality-of arms 20 pivotally suspended from the frame and driver bars 54 guided in the arms and provided with one or more drivers 24. The inserting means, as herein shown, cooperates with the pulling and adjusting means to secure the upper in overworked position, and is operated in time relation with the grippers to actuate their tripping devices 13 for causing them to release the upper after it has been overdrawn and while the arms are moving into position to insert the fastenings. These and other parts of the machine concerned in pulling and adjusting the upper are fully shown and described in said prior patent and their operation is explained in detail therein.

The inward movement of the arms 20, which is limited with relation to the edge of the shoe by stops, such as shown at 25, is effected by apparatus shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 6. This comprises a sliding rack bar 30 actuated by gear teeth formed on a shaft 32, the toothed outer end of which is engaged by a toothed plate 34L on a lever 35 pivoted at 36 and actuated by a cam 38 on the main cam shaft. The forward end of this slide is forked and is yieldingly connected at e0 with the front tacker arm 20 for drawing it rearwardly over the bottom of the toe portion of the shoe. Segmental racks 42 engage the teeth on either side of the bar 30 and also engage the sliding carriers 44 in which are mounted spring plungers 15 having beveled faces engaging similar faces on a block in which the arms are vertically movable. Through this yielding connection the arms 20 at the side of the machine are drawn inwardly over the shoe bottom. The rack bar 30 receives a definite length of movement from the cam 38 at each operation of the machine and normally moves each arm a predetermined distance, the distance being the same for each side arm. In many styles of lasts the right last is so shaped relative to the left last, as shown in Fig. 7 for example, that when a right last is in the machine one side arm is stopped farther from the median line of the machine than the other. Also different styles of lasts of the same widths vary in length, as shown in Fig. 8, so that sometimes the arm cotiperating with the end of the shoe is stopped in its inward movement before the side arms reach their stopping position. The yielding connections at 4.0 and 45 permit the arms to stop short of the full movement of their actuating devices.

The sliding bar 30 and the parts actuated by it are carried upon a plate having bearings embracing the shaft 32 and a depending rigid arm 52 engaging a groove in the cam 38. The plate is thus rocked about the shaft to liftand then depress the bar 30 and connections 10 and 45 intime relation to the forward and backward movements of said bar. The segmental racks 42 are pivoted on the plate 50 and the parts actuated by said racks are guided and supported on said plate. Each of the driver bars 5 1 has on its inner side a lug 55 which is engaged by a cotiperating shoulder to lift the driver bars. This shoulder cooperating with the forward bar is best shown in Fig. tat 56 secured to the front end of the sliding rack bar 30. The shoulders coiiperating with the side drivers are shown at 58 as formed on or attached to the carriers 4%. The driver bars are raised during the upward rocking movement of the plate 50 by the engagement of the shoulders 56 and 58 with the lugs 55 on the bars. This lifting of the drivers is effected against the tension of stiff spiral springs 60 which have one end adjustably held in the forked end of the rotatable plug 62 which has the hexagonal head 63 and is secured by the split clamp 64 on the end of the portion of the framework.

which contains the spring. The other end of the driving spring 60 is located in a transverse slot in the end of a shaft 65 having a radial arm or lever 66 that extends forward to the driver bar upon which it rests. There is one spring 60, shaft 65 and lever 66 for each of the side driver bars while the relatively long lever 66, which reaches forward to the front driver bar, is operated by two springs 60, one at either end of the shaft 65, which balance each other so as to avoid any strains on this long lever. These springs may be relatively light ones or may be put under a less tension than the springs for the side levers. The springs 60 can be independently adjusted to actuate each driver bar with the required force. The side driver bars are usually provided with a plurality of drivers for inserting a plurality of fastenings simultaneously and the tension of the springs may be varied according to the number of fastenings to be driven.

In the use of the machine the shoe, comprising the upper and the innersole assembled upon the last, is presented against the rests with the edges of the upper within the grippers and when the machine is started the grippers seize the upper and pull it and then the machine comes to rest with the upper under tension. The operator may at this time inspect the shoe and if the upper is not sufliciently pulled at one or more points or requires adjustment the grippers are manually manipulated as by the handles of the levers 8 or other devices described in said patent to shift and position the upper as may be desired. When the machine is restarted, the spreader for the grippers is retracted to permit the springs let to move the grippers inwardly for drawing the upper over the last bottom. The sliding rack bar 30 is next retracted and the arms 20 are thereby yieldingly pulled inwardly until their movement is arrested by the contact of the stops 25 with the shoe or, in the case of the side arms, with clamps that are interposed between the stops and the shoe, as shown in Fig. 6 and as more fully illustrated and described in United States Letters Pat-- ent No. 950,701.

When an arm 20 is arrested the yielding connection 40 or 45 permits the movement of the bar 30 to continue and in such further movement the carrier 44 withdraws the driver supporting shoulder 56 or 58 from under the lug on the driver bar and permits the spring 60 to act at once through its independent lever 66 for impelling the driver downwardly and inserting a fastening to secure the upper in its overworked position. As has before been stated the variations which are found in the shapes of lasts cause the inward movement of the fastening inserting mechanisms to vary relatively to one another and in the machine shown a mate rial advantage is gained by actuating the driver bars independently so that each may insert its fastenings as soon as it is tripped. It is to be observed that in the combination shown the inserting mechanisms are moved into operative positions by means including connected devices for tripping a plurality of driver bars and which is arranged to trip each bar as soon as it arrives in driving position, and each driver bar is actuated as soon as it is tripped or without waiting for the other bars to be tripped.

The combinations comprised in this invention which include upper pulling means as elements are not herein claimed but are made the subject-matter of a divisional application Serial No. 566,405 filed June 11, 1910.

Having explained the nature of this invention and fully described a construction embodying the same, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a plurality of drivers, separate springs for separate drivers, means for uplifting the drivers against the springs, and means for moving the drivers inwardly over the work, said machine being arranged to cause the drivers to be separately tripped in response to resistance to their inward movement and to permit each spring to actuate its driver as soon as the driver is tripped.

2. In a pulling-over machine, the combination with a plurality of fastening inserting mechanisms having drivers, of means for moving said mechanisms inwardly over the shoe bottom,.said means having provision for tripping the drivers at different times, and means for actuating the drivers independently to insert the fastenings.

3. In a pulling-over machine, the combination with a plurality of fastening inserting mechanisms having drivers, of means for lifting the drivers together, means to trip the drivers at relative times determined by different portions of the work, and means for downwardly actuating the drivers separately arranged to insure the actuation of each driver in predetermined time relation to the occurrence of the tripping of that driver.

4. In a pulling-over machine, the combination with a plurality of fastening inserting mechanisms having drivers, of a single mechanism yieldingly connected with each of the drivers for moving them laterally together toward operative position, said mechanism having means for supporting each driver in uplifted position and being arranged to release each driver after a predetermined length of further movement of said actuating mechanism after the inserting mechanism reaches operative position and as an incident to said lateral movement, and means for actuating each driver as soon as it is released.

5. In a pulling-over machine, the combination with a plurality of fastening inserting mechanisms having drivers, of means for moving said mechanisms together toward operative position, said machine having provisions for tripping the drivers at times determined by the arrival of said mechanisms in operative relations to work, and means arranged to actuate each driver as soon as it is tripped.

(3. A machine of the class described, comprising a plurality of drivers, means for uplifting the drivers, connected devices adapted to move said drivers yieldingly into operative position and arranged to trip each driver as it reaches a predetermined relation to the edge of the work, means controlled by engagement with the work for arresting the drivers, and means for actuating each driver when it is tripped.

7. In a pulling-over machine, the combination with a plurality of fastening inserting mechanisms movable inwardly over a shoe bottom together, means to trip the drivers in response to resistance to continued inward movement, and independently operating springs for each driver arranged to actuate the drivers in the order in which they may be tripped.

8. In a pulling-over machine, the combination with tackers movable together inwardly over the shoe bottom from the toe and from oppos te sides of the fore part and each having a stop to limit its movement by the edge of the shoe, means for yieldingly actuating the tackcrs inwardly arranged to trip each driver separately when its inward movement is arrested, and means for independently actuating each driver when it is tripped.

9. In a pulling-over machine, means for securing the upper at a plurality of points, comprising aplurality of fastening inserting mechanisms having driver bars, means for lifting the bars simultaneously, means for moving the bars inwardly over the shoe bottom, said last mentioned means having provision for tripping the bar at times determined by the relation of the bars to the edge of the work separate springs for different bars, and independent connections between the springs and the bars actuated by them.

10. In a pulling-over machine, means for securing the upper at a plurality of points, said means comprising a plurality of fastening inserting mechanisms having driver bars, means for lifting the bars, springs against the tension of which the bars are upraised, means for tripping the several bars which are dependent, as tothe time of operations on individual bars, upon the relation of the mechanisms to the work, and separate connections between the springs and the bars to be actuated by them.

11. In a pulling-over machine, means for securing the upper at aplurality of points, said means comprising a plurality of fastening inserting mechanisms having driver bars, means for lifting the bars, means for actuating the bars to drive the fastenings, means for drawing the mechanisms inwardly over the last bottom and having separate devices for tripping the individual bars at times determined by the relation of the mechanisms to the edge of the work, and separate connections between the actuating means and the bars arranged to cause each bar to be operated as soon as it is tripped.

12. In a pulling-over machine, means for securing the upper at a plurality of points substantially simultaneously, comprising a plurality of fastening inserting mechanisms movable inwardly over the last bottom and having driver bars, means for lifting the driver bars, springs against the tension of which said bars lifted, means for releasing the bars constructed and arranged so that the relative times at which the several bars are released are determined by the eX- tent to which each bar has moved inwardly to reach operative position, and separate connections between the springs and the bars.

13. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a plurality of fastening inserting mechanisms having drivers, of means for moving said mechanisms into operative positions, and means controlled by the positions of said drivers relatively to the edges of the work for independently actuating the drivers.

14. In a machine 'of the class described, the combination of a plurality of fastening inserting mechanisms having drivers, means for moving said mechanisms into operative positions having provisions for tripping each driver when it reaches a predetermined position relatively to the work, and means for independently actuating each driver when it is tripped.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- ARTHUR BATES. IVitnesses GRACE Homins, ARTHUR ERNEST JERRAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

